Silver Winter Bells
by DarkForgiveness
Summary: Luffy is tired of Ace stealing the covers at night during a cold winter. He goes to visit Makino to ask for some help and she gives him something that had a very different reaction on his brother than Luffy would ever have thought.


Yay, finally the short oneshot is finished! This is written for Lafai and her challenge to me. Well the pairing is definitely my favourite Ace x Luffy but extremely fluffy and cute.

The next one will be entitled Silver Winter Bells 2 and that will be a Shanks x Luffy oneshot. There's nothing explicit about this but there is a sweet and fluffy kiss that the brother's share and just to clear up the confusion this is tied in with The Ace of Hearts before Luffy is fifteen and sets sail with Ace.

So if the references make you a bit confused its better if you read the Ace of Hearts but it's not necessary. For now though I thank everyone who's been so supportive of all my writings I really appreciate it. On with the story:

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><p>The entirety of Fuusha Village was covered in a cloak of pure white snow; the wind was for once quiet - causing the windmill to stand still with no sign of any sort of movement. Even now when it was early morning; the white fluff seemed to illuminate the place with an ethereal glow that could only ever be seen within the small town. Never once did winter bring so much promise of excitement and an energy that seemed to glow from within. The stars glittering softly in the aftermath of the flurry earlier that day; presenting the tiny town with a new layer of fallen snowflakes that deemed the fascination of the children and adults alike.<p>

Atop the hill lived two such teens; a deep secret that they were brother sand also the children of a legendary man that once ruled from the East Blue all the way to the Grand Line. It was but a typical winter day for the two brothers; one now sixteen and the other three years behind him at thirteen. In the early morning light; both Ace and Luffy were curled on a double bed basking in the light and warmth of a raging fire in the hearth of the master bedroom. The youngest curled against his brother's chest and the oldest sprawled on his side; barely even aware of the body that rested against him.

Luffy shivered; he was cold and it was not helping that Ace had stolen the covers. Even with the warm fire mere metres away from him he still felt the bite of the cold. Luffy shuffled closer; burrowing deeper against his older brother to get more of his body heat and when that didn't work Luffy tried to steal back the covers with fingers that felt as if they were frozen and refused to work properly. Damn the snow storm and the cold of this time of year; Luffy really hated this time of the year. Winter for him was the worst experience ever. He usually never felt the cold much but this morning seemed to be different; somehow the temperature had dropped enough to leave him feeling colder than normal.

"Ace! Give it back!" Luffy whined; the thirteen year old tugged on the warm blanket his brother had commandeered the night before without him knowing about it. Ace was always like this; he never woke up when Luffy called out to him and refused to relinquish his hold on the warm blanket. Another violent shiver travelled through Luffy's body making the young teen whimper slightly. He hated when Ace was like this; don't get him wrong. Luffy loved his brother more than anything in this world but it got too much when Ace stole the covers from his body on such a cold night so Luffy got ready to take his revenge when Ace's hand fell before his face.

"Shishishishi;" Luffy chuckled; parting his mouth and pulled his brother's thumb into his mouth. The action elicited a moan from elder of the Portgas D. brothers; who merely snuggled his dark hair deeper into the pillow. Luffy grinned evilly before he bit down; the reaction he got was instant a loud shout of 'itai' and the thumb being plucked from his mouth with such a force that it made a small popping noise. Laughter filled the room when Luffy watched as he was shot a deep glare from dark black eyes; the thumb that had just been in his mouth now suckled into his brother's mouth who was trying to ease the pain. Luffy blushed at the indirect kiss but it served his purpose; he tugged at the warm, fluffy blanket and sunk back into the soft bed.

"What the hell Luffy?" Ace yelled; Luffy merely opened his one eye a crack before grumbling an unintelligible answer and closing his eye again and drifted away into a warm cocoon of sleep only to be woken up by a sharp pain being dealt to his skull. Ace had just hit him on the head and Luffy could already feel the pain and the bump that the hit had caused. He whined pitifully and turned puppy dog eyes on his brother; desperately begging for forgiveness.

"Why? I didn't do anything." Luffy defended his action. "Ace is so mean." He knew he had won this argument when he saw Ace's glare soften and black eyes looked at him gently as they tried desperately to retain their previous anger.

"You bit me." Ace stated furiously; trying to regain his anger at his little brother's actions but when he looked into those dark eyes he knew that it was impossible. When Luffy wielded his most powerful weapon Ace was always helpless and those large, innocent, black eyes were always his downfall.

"But Ace stole the covers." Luffy said finally; smiling when Ace merely took the covers from his form and spread it over them again before tucking his little brother against his chest. It was true; Luffy's body was cold and shivering. That fact made Ace feel guilty but once Luffy fell back asleep Ace too went back to the world of dreams; the embers of their fireplace burning themselves out just as the sun started to peak over the horizon.

Luffy was quiet; a smile spreading across his lips. This was what he wanted - that gentle side of Ace to come out. It was rare that Ace ever showed such kindness but to Luffy. It made Luffy's heart flutter - his brother only ever showed this side to him and it made him want to be the only person to ever see it. Besides; even at thirteen he was strangely very much attached to his beloved Aniki and he really loved being coddled. Ace was always willing to give him affection outside of the wandering eyes of the village.

...

"There you go Luffy." The youngest of the Portgas brothers smiled at Makino as she placed a steaming cup of tea before his eyes. The warm scarf that Ace had insisted he wear outside didn't do much as a combatant to the cold outside and Luffy was happy he had decided to come visit Makino first; at least she always gave him something warm in the winter that always seemed to chase away the cold that clung to his body. He fought back another shiver when he felt a frown creep up on his lips.

"Now, now Luffy. What's with that look? Are you okay?" Luffy hung his head so that his black bangs covered his eyes and shook his head in a negative to the bartender's question. He wasn't okay; he was cold and it didn't help that if he slept with his beloved Aniki again then the covers will be stolen again and he would be cold the whole day and night.

"Na, na, na Makino? Can I ask you for some help?" Luffy blurted as he blew away some of the steam that rose from his cup of tea; a smile creeping over his lips as the warmth from the cup crept through his fingers and warmed his heart. This was why he liked coming here in the winter; it always warmed him from the inside out.

"What is it Luffy?"

"Ace steals the covers at night and I'm always cold." Luffy pouted; big dark eyes begging for some form of help. The barmaid merely chuckled as she leaned her chin in her cupped hand and stared at the youngest of the legendary brothers; she couldn't help it he was adorably cute when he was like this and she couldn't deny him any sort of assistance whatsoever. The Mayor was right; that pout was truly a dangerous thing and coupled with the way those cheeks were flushed from the cold wind outside only added to the danger. So with a gentle smile she closed her eyes and nodded; there was one thing she could do and wanted to do for a long time but now it seemed that it would finally work.

"Alright Luffy; I know what to do. So just sit still here for a few minutes and I'll run upstairs to go get it." Luffy frowned but nodded; she was really willing to help him? Then why did Luffy feel as if he was walking into a trap of some sort? With a wary sigh Luffy closed his eyes and finished his tea; wondering what she was going to get. Luffy laid his head on his hands on top of the bar when Makino hadn't returned after ten minutes and closed his eyes; he was still tired and now that he had something warm to drink and eat he was happy once again. He was started awake by Makino's voice calling out to him again; Luffy blinked away the sleep from his eyes - wondering when exactly he had drifted to sleep and how long he had been asleep.

"I found it Luffy. If you wear this Ace won't be able to steal the covers away from you." Makino said with a smile and held the intricate bracelet across the bar for the youngest of the Portgas brother's; the tinkling of many bells caught Luffy's attention and he frowned. Why did he have to wear silver bell bracelet?

"If Ace moves the covers from your grip you can hear it." Makino said with a smile as she reached out for Luffy's left wrist; giggling softly when Luffy looked at her with a raised eyebrow in confusion before he finally smiled in acceptance. He pulled his hand back; the tinkling of the bells like music to his ears.

'It would really work'; Luffy thought to himself. What Makino failed to tell him was that that bracelet was a remnant of Shanks stay many years ago and had been brought from the Grand Line. It was supposedly the Lover's Bracelet that was worn only by the youngest in the relationship to bring luck and love to the couple. She had long since known all about the love Luffy shared for his brother and now when she gave him that bracelet perhaps Ace would open his eyes and see just how infatuated Luffy was with him. Makino chuckled evilly; at least like this she would know when he was coming and tried to enter her kitchen to steal her food. Turning back to cleaning up the bar she waved to the youngest of the Portgas brothers as he disappeared through the doors and into the cold.

"Ace!" Luffy's voice carried through the home; his new bracelet tinkling at his every movement - to him it was a hypnotizing sound that made his heart call out to his brother. He could hear the howling of the wind in the distance but the house was completely quiet. Luffy sighed; Ace must have been out gathering food so with determination Luffy set to work lighting a fire in the heart of their father's bedroom that had become theirs after their father's death. Luffy placed his straw hat on the nightstand and crawled up on the bed; a lazy afternoon nap seemed like a nice idea to him so Luffy drifted to sleep suddenly feeling tired even when he hadn't done much. His cheeks and nose were a shade of rouge as the cold had affected him but Luffy hardly noticed; merely pushing it aside as he sneezed and promptly fell into a narcoleptic fit.

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><p>"Luffy? Are you home?" Ace hollered as he entered the warm house; the heat that touched his skin told him that Luffy had to be home as the fire warmed through the house. He sighed as he went to the kitchen to begin dinner; Luffy was most likely hungry already. A blush decorated his cheeks; making the freckles stand out as he remembered that morning. He never knew that Luffy would actually bite him and that meant that his thumb had also been in his little brother's warm mouth...<p>

Shaking his head to clear it of the thoughts; Ace pushed it aside. He still needed to get back at Luffy for waking him up at such an ungodly hour that morning. He had struggled to fall asleep after that; his mind running in circles as Luffy's curled up to his side. He was never one for such a rude awakening but something stopped him from taking his anger out on his little brother; it must have been something to do with those pleading eyes that looked at him. It was enough to stir any form of guilt he had for not only one event but for all the others where he had been given _that_ look.

Luffy drifted back to consciousness by the smell of delicious food; the smell making his stomach grumble in protest. He was always hungry and that smell could only mean one thing; Ace was home and it was almost dinner time. Without waiting for another second Luffy tore through the room; bare feet slapping on the hardwood floor, the sound of silver bells enriching the air around him and through the house.

"Luffy?" Ace's voice drifted through the house; he was confused and it was showing by the frown that marred his features. Just why the hell did he hear the sound of hypnotizing silver bells? Plus it seemed to be in sync with his brother's movements as he rushed towards the kitchen. Well; it didn't matter - Ace turned back to stove and set about continuing to cook.

"You're home Ace!" Luffy shouted; never once stopping in his rush through the house and promptly crashed into Ace from behind. His arms winding around Ace's waist for a welcoming embrace. The silver bells ringing with his every movement; Luffy couldn't wait to tell Ace where he got it from. It had been a long time since Makino had given him a present other than clothes and Luffy was inexplicably happy. That was until Ace ceased his wrist and spun him around so that Luffy was now pinned against the counter with Ace's one arm resting against his hip and his left hand held tenderly in his brother's grip. The intense gaze that Luffy was given made a blush creep over his nose as Ace lifted his left hand to his face; for a moment there Luffy felt his breath hitch when he thought that Ace was going to kiss his knuckles. He couldn't keep that deep red blush from spreading across his nose in an instant of misunderstanding.

"Luffy? Where did you get that?" Luffy lowered his eyes in disappointment; he didn't know why but he really wanted Ace to do that. So with averted eyes that hid their disappointment Luffy answered his question; yet when Luffy finally looked up he saw something else flash in Ace's eyes and it suddenly melted all the negative feelings from his mind as this time Luffy really did stop breathing when Ace sighed and flipped Luffy's hand so that the palm was up and the inside of his wrist where the clasp was. Luffy let out a strangled whimper when lips brushed the inside of his wrist and the bracelet jingled with the movement.

"A-Ace?" Luffy stuttered; the blush across his nose deepening when he could have sworn he heard a small sound of contentment spill from Ace's lips. Luffy stammered out a question but the tiniest movement he made to jerk his hand away was stopped by Ace whose eyes were now looking up at him with a dazed expression.

"Nggh!" Luffy moaned and clenched his eyes shut when he felt a tongue peak out and trace the vein on his wrist; for Luffy it felt as if an electrical shock had travelled through his body and made his head spin with the sudden influx of heat and pleasure that coursed through him.

"Ace!" Luffy yelped; finally succeeding in yanking his hand away from his brother's grip. The youngest of the Portgas brother's couldn't explain it but his heart was hammering in his chest as the thirteen year old tried desperately to hide his blush from his brother's eyes. Luffy's lips were parted as air rushed in and out of his lungs in rapid succession to gain back the oxygen that his body felt so deprived of. It seemed that it was his expression that finally snapped his brother from his daze as Ace looked at Luffy with a pinkish hue colouring his freckled cheeks just as Luffy's cheeks were deep rouge.

In that moment Ace didn't know what had overcome his body and soul but he wanted to taste Luffy's skin and even now he could still taste it; it was pure, innocent and as sweet as the driven snow over vanilla flowers. He didn't know how to explain it but Ace knew that if the slight fear in Luffy's eyes hadn't snapped him out from it; he would have done something stupid like steal his brother's first kiss. It was just something about those intricate silver bells wrapped around Luffy's wrist that had enthralled all his senses as if everything was right with the world if those bells just kept ringing with every movement Luffy made.

Luffy finally snapped out of his own daze; freckled cheeks now back to their own colour; in a moment of insanity he felt a sneeze travel through his system. Was someone thinking dirty thoughts of him? Luffy narrowed his eyes at his older brother before he started whining for food. Perhaps it was better that they not speak of this incident lest he have a heart attack at the age of thirteen. For his age, Luffy was misinformed about relationships, love and understanding concepts such as lust and desire; so when he experienced it for the first time it felt like his heart was going to explode in his chest and he wasn't going to survive another moment with Ace attached to his wrist like a greedy vampire.

Luffy decided to place it in a box that was labelled as the 'do-not-think-about box' and placed far away in his mind just as he was sure Ace was doing now; it was easy for the brothers to understand each other with a few simple actions and as their gazed locked it was firmly decided that this will never before mentioned and to make sure it never got any weirder - Ace unclipped the bracelet and put it in his pocket - just in case the offending bells had something to do with all this. He would make sure it was buried far away underground so that his little brother didn't get attacked by other lust filled men.

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><p>Later that night when they finally settled back into the large double bed; the fire roaring in the hearth - Luffy knew that he didn't feel as cold as he usually did. In fact he was a little too warm lying next to his brother; burying his face in pillow; Luffy hid his face from Ace's eyes hoping he did not notice his blush. And here Luffy had promised himself never to think of that again but he couldn't help it. That strange feeling bubbling up in his stomach again as he bit the bullet and shuffled closer to his brother's warm body. If not a kiss than Luffy would have to settle for sharing body heat in the winter - the silver belled bracelet long forgotten as Luffy knew Ace wouldn't steal the covers from his anymore if his arms was around his waist for the entire evening like they were holding him in place now.<p>

Ace smiled softly at his little brother; if only Luffy knew what he did to Ace's mind then he wouldn't be so comfortable next to him but Ace pushed it aside for receiving and giving affection to his bellowed brother - it was always best if he ignored it as best he could and hope Luffy never realized it but for now he would take whatever he was given and there wasn't a moment in time when Ace didn't thank the gods for bestowing upon him a kid brother who was so innocent and forgiving.

When Ace was sure Luffy was fast asleep; he leant forward and brushed his lips against silky soft hair - maybe one day his affections would be returned in earnest and not only as brotherly love but for now Ace was content with everything. He had his little Luffy and the promise of the world before him. Ace gave a rare genuine smile of love before he closed his eyes and he too drifted to sleep. Even in the coldest of winters; they were each other's heat and understanding - a bond like no other and also a love that should long since have faded but burned with such a fire that it would never be snuffed even in death.

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><p>I know it's a bit short but I didn't want to make it too long and bore everyone. For now though I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did please don't be shy - drop me a review I would really be happy I you did.<p>

I'll see you guys soon with another update to one of my other stories:

Ja Na

DF


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